Many pathogens have the ability to evade the natural defenses of an infected host cell or organism. Consequently, the infected host develops the disease or disorder which is associated with that pathogen.
Treatments for pathogenic infections typically target a distinguishing feature or characteristic of a specific pathogen. For example, acyclovir targets the replication stage of herpesvirus infection, zidovudine/AZT targets the reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and various protease inhibitors target HIV protease. Generally, however, these therapies have many disadvantages, including limited usefulness for only a specific pathogen, ineffectiveness due to pathogen variation, and toxic side effects. In addition, many of these therapies tend to be slow to develop.
A need exists therefore, for the development of anti-pathogen therapies that are effective for a broad spectrum of pathogens and which overcome disadvantages of existing therapies.